At a time when wildlife is disappearing across the planet, one animal is making a comeback - the wolf.
Wolves were wiped out across much of America, with more than a million wolves estimated to have been shot, poisoned or trapped when European settlers arrived.
This enthralling series documents the return of one very special wolf pack to the snowy peaks of Washington's Cascade Mountains - the first to return to the American Northwest in 70 years.
In a series about the extraordinary stories behind maps, Professor Jerry Brotton uncovers how maps aren't simply about getting from A to B, but are revealing snapshots of defining moments in history and tools of political power and persuasion.
Visiting the world's first known map, etched into the rocks of a remote alpine hillside 3,000 years ago, Brotton explores how each culture develops its own unique, often surprising way of mapping. As Henry VIII's stunning maps of the British coastline from a bird's-eye view show, they were also used to exert control over the world.
During the Enlightenment, the great French Cassini dynasty pioneered the western quest to map the world with greater scientific accuracy, leading also to the British Ordnance Survey. But these new scientific methods were challenged by cultures with alternative ways of mapping, such as in a Polynesian navigator's map which has no use for north, south and east.
As scientifically accurate map-making became a powerful tool of European expansion, the British carved the state of Iraq out of the Middle East. When the British drew up Iraq's boundaries, they had devastating consequences for the nomadic tribes of Mesopotamia.
Ned and Jesse are forced into an impossible choice - Hani's life in exchange for technology capable of wiping entire cities from the face of the earth.
Unless Ned and Jesse take action their fates will be sealed, their story repackaged and the truth will remain neatly beneath the radar. It is time to do something radical.
Actor and musician Sam Palladio hosts a musical tribute to Elvis Presley, 60 years to the day from when he recorded his first single, That's All Right, at Sun Studio in Memphis on 5 July 1954. Sam traces Elvis's story from childhood poverty in Mississippi, where he had to make do with a broom for a guitar, to the moment when, by accident, he ended up recording the song that changed the history of popular music. There are performances of the finest Elvis tracks from the likes of soul legend Candi Staton, LA duo The Pierces and country star Laura Bell Bundy.
Andy Peebles presents another edition of the weekly pop chart with performances by the Dooleys, the Headboys, Chic, Dr Hook, Viola Wills, Errol Dunkley, the Charlie Daniels Band, Cats UK, Dave Edmunds, Dana and the Police and dance sequences by Legs & Co.
The rock and pop series kicks off with the very birth of the decade, when pop was consigned to Crackerjack and rebellious singers still wore cardigans. But then Beatlemania came along.
Features the fabulous Freddie and the Dreamers on Blue Peter and Pinky & Perky doing the Twist.
Compilation of classic archive performances from the guitar gods of the late 60s and 70s. Status Quo appear playing Pictures of Matchstick Men on Top of the Pops in 1968, The Who perform Long Live Rock in the Old Grey Whistle Test studio, Dire Straits play Tunnel of Love and Lynyrd Skynyrd bring a taste of the Deep South with Sweet Home Alabama. The show also features rare performances from George Benson, Leo Kottke, Link Wray and Tom Petty.
SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER 2014
SUN 19:00 Under Milk Wood (p01x5k4n)
A unique one-off television production of Dylan Thomas's famous 'play for voices' performed by a community of Welsh talent in New York, Los Angeles, London, Cardiff and Laugharne. Michael Sheen opens as First Voice, Sir Tom Jones as Captain Cat and as each of Dylan's iconic characters joins in, the piece builds up into a collage of famous voices and faces (including Matthew Rhys, Ioan Gruffudd, Siân Phillips, Jonathan Pryce, Bryn Terfel and Katherine Jenkins) intercut with evocative imagery inspired by the play and created as part of a live event by National Theatre Wales.
SUN 20:00 Rome: A History of the Eternal City (b01p96g4)
Divine Gamble
Simon Sebag Montefiore charts the rocky course of Rome's rise to become the capital of western Christendom and its impact on the lives of its citizens, elites and high priests.
Rome casts aside its pantheon of pagan gods and a radical new religion takes hold. Christianity was just a persecuted sect until Emperor Constantine took a huge leap of faith, promoting it as the religion of Empire. But would this divine gamble pay off?
SUN 21:00 Storyville (b04n1hfy)
112 Weddings
Documentary which explores timeless themes of love and marital commitment. For the past two decades, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Doug Block has helped support himself by shooting weddings. Hired for his intimate documentary style, he found himself emotionally bonding with his wedding couples on their big day, only to send off their videos and never see them again.
Many years and 112 weddings later, having long wondered what has become of their marriages, Block begins to track down some of the more memorable couples. Is married life what they thought it would be? Are they still together? How have they navigated the inevitable ups and downs of marriage over the long haul? Juxtaposing rapturous wedding day flashbacks with remarkably candid present-day interviews, this is a funny, insightful and deeply moving insight into the long-term challenges of marriage.
SUN 22:00 Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways (b04n60j3)
Chicago
Foo Fighters go on a musical tour of America, from the desert to the Midwest and from jazz to punk, visiting the studios and meeting the musicians that have helped shape the country's vast musical wealth. Directed by Dave Grohl, the series taps into the musical heritage and cultural fabric of eight cities where the location is only revealed once each episode is broadcast - Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Washington DC.
Along the way they record their eighth studio album, one song in each city at a legendary recording studio integral to its history. Every track features local legends and each episode delves into the identity of each city - showing how the region shaped the members of the Foo Fighters in their formative years and, in turn, how they impacted the cultural fabric of their hometowns. Sonic Highways is, in Grohl's words, 'a love letter to the history of American music.'
Following the opening double-bill of programmes 1 and 2, subsequent episodes will be available on consecutive weeks on BBC iPlayer, then returning to BBC Four for episodes 7 and 8 in December.
SUN 23:00 Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways (b04n8wl5)
Washington, DC
Foo Fighters go on a musical tour of America, from the desert to the Midwest and from jazz to punk, visiting the studios and meeting the musicians that have helped shape the country's vast musical wealth. Directed by Dave Grohl, the series taps into the musical heritage and cultural fabric of eight cities where the location is only revealed once each episode is broadcast - Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Washington DC.
Along the way they record their eighth studio album, one song in each city at a legendary recording studio integral to its history. Every track features local legends and each episode delves into the identity of each city - showing how the region shaped the members of the Foo Fighters in their formative years and, in turn, how they impacted the cultural fabric of their hometowns. Sonic Highways is, in Grohl's words, 'a love letter to the history of American music.'
Following the opening double-bill of programmes 1 and 2, subsequent episodes will be available on consecutive weeks on BBC iPlayer, then returning to BBC Four for episodes 7 and 8 in December.
SUN 00:00 The Joy of ABBA (b03lyzpp)
Between 1974 and 1982 ABBA plundered the Anglo-Saxon charts but divided critical opinion. This documentary explores how they raised the bar for pop music as a form and made us fall in love with the sound of Swedish melancholy. A saga about the soul of pop.
SUN 01:00 ABBA at the BBC (b03lyzpr)
If you fancy an hour's worth of irresistible guilty pleasures from Anni-Frid, Benny, Bjorn and Agnetha, this is the programme for you. ABBA stormed the 1974 Eurovision song contest with their winning entry Waterloo, and this programme charts the meteoric rise of the band with some of their greatest performances at the BBC.
It begins in 1974 with their first Top of the Pops appearance, and we even get to see the band entertaining holidaymakers in Torbay in a 1975 Seaside Special. There are many classic ABBA tunes from the 1979 BBC special ABBA in Switzerland, plus their final BBC appearance on the Late Late Breakfast show in 1982.
This compilation is a must for all fans and includes great archive interviews, promos and performances of some of ABBA's classics including Waterloo, Dancing Queen, Does Your Mother Know, Thank You for the Music, SOS, Fernando, Chiquitita and many more.
SUN 02:00 Agnetha: ABBA and After (b02x9zwc)
In this documentary, the BBC have exclusive access to Agnetha Faltskog, 'The Girl with the Golden Hair' as the song goes, celebrating her extraordinary singing career which began in the mid-60s when she was just 15. Within just two years, she was a singing sensation at the top of the charts in Sweden.
Along came husband Bjorn Ulvaeus and the phenomenal band ABBA that engulfed the world in the 70s, featuring Agnetha's touching voice and striking looks. Agnetha lacked confidence on stage as the global demand for the group grew and grew, while being away from her young children caused her great turmoil.
With special behind-the-scenes access to the making of her comeback album, the film follows this reluctant star - the subject of much tabloid speculation since she retreated from the stage post-ABBA - as she returns to recording aged 63. Included in the film is her first meeting with Gary Barlow, who contributes a duet to the new album.
The programme features interviews with Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Gary Barlow, Tony Blackburn, Sir Tim Rice and record producers Peter Nordahl and Jorgen Elofsson.
SUN 03:00 The Joy of ABBA (b03lyzpp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
00:00 today]
MONDAY 27 OCTOBER 2014
MON 19:00 World News Today (b04mqbh8)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
MON 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00qgyv4)
Series 1
Cromford to Burton-on-Trent
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. In a series of four epic journeys, he travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways changed us and what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
His journey takes him from Buxton along one of the first railway routes south to the capital, London. This time, Michael visits the oldest working factory in the world at Cromford, explores the country's first public park in Derby and finds out why Burton's beer is said to be the best.
MON 20:00 Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies (b01m9vjl)
The Shape of Things to Come
In the heady years following World War II, Britain was a nation in love with aviation. Having developed the jet engine in wartime, British engineers were now harnessing its power to propel the world's first passenger jets. By 1960 the UK's passenger airline industry was the largest in the world, with routes stretching to the furthest-flung remnants of Empire.
And the aircraft carrying these New Elizabethans around the globe were also British - the Vickers Viscount, the Bristol Britannia and the world's first pure jet-liner, the sleek, silver De Havilland Comet, which could fly twice as high and twice as fast as its American competitors. It seemed the entire nation was reaching for the skies to create the shape of things to come for air travel worldwide. But would their reach exceed their grasp?
MON 21:00 The Art of Gothic: Britain's Midnight Hour (b04n1mrb)
The City and the Soul
As the Industrial Revolution promised more and more inexplicable wonders of the modern world, Gothic art and literature became both backward and forward looking. In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley warned of the dangers of how science could get out of control, while Sir Giles Gilbert Scott used Gothic architecture to memorialise Prince Albert as a medieval hero. Meanwhile, poets indulged in hallucinatory drugs to reach new Gothic heights. Where would it all end?
MON 22:00 The Curse of Frankenstein (b03n2wt1)
Classic horror. In prison and awaiting execution, Baron Victor Frankenstein pleads with a visiting pastor to hear his incredible story of how he and his colleague Paul Krempe had successfully reanimated a dead dog, and how his lifelong ambition of creating a fully functioning, perfect human being had been thwarted by circumstance.
MON 23:20 Dan Cruickshank and the Family that Built Gothic Britain (b04m3ljr)
As good as any Dickens novel, this is the triumphant and tragic story of the greatest architectural dynasty of the 19th century. Dan Cruickshank charts the rise of Sir George Gilbert Scott to the very heights of success, the fall of his son George Junior and the rise again of his grandson Giles. It is a story of architects bent on a mission to rebuild Britain. From the Romantic heights of the Midland Hotel at St Pancras station to the modern image of Bankside power station (now Tate Modern), this is the story of a family that shaped the Victorian age and left a giant legacy.
MON 00:20 Detectorists (b04m9rh2)
Series 1
Episode 4
Terry announces that he is standing down as leader of the DMDC, unleashing a bitter winner-takes-all scramble for presidential power when Andy and Lance fall out over gold. Becky and Sophie are forced to become allies in the Two Brewers pub quiz. Is this Andy's worst idea ever?
MON 00:50 Ancient Apocalypse (b0074m7j)
Sodom and Gomorrah
The Bible describes how Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed in a storm of fire and brimstone. Could the inspiration for this story come from a natural apocalypse around the Dead Sea in the Middle East? Science tests out the extraordinary geology of the region - could an earthquake trigger a landslide capable of sweeping away whole cities?
MON 01:40 The Viking Sagas (b0110gnv)
Hundreds of years ago in faraway Iceland the Vikings began to write down dozens of stories called sagas - sweeping narratives based on real people and real events. But as Oxford University's Janina Ramirez discovers, these sagas are not just great works of art, they are also priceless historical documents which bring to life the Viking world. Dr Ramirez travels across glaciers and through the lava fields of Iceland to the far north west of the country to find out about one of the most compelling of these stories - the Laxdaela Saga.
MON 02:40 The Art of Gothic: Britain's Midnight Hour (b04n1mrb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
TUESDAY 28 OCTOBER 2014
TUE 19:00 World News Today (b04mqbjn)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
TUE 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00qgz23)
Series 1
Walsall to Bournville
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. In a series of four epic journeys, he travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways changed us, and what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
His journey takes him from Buxton along one of the first railway routes south to the capital, London. This time, Michael meets the queen's saddler in Walsall, learns how to cook an authentic Indian curry in Birmingham and visits Bournville, rumoured to be the best place to live in Britain.
TUE 20:00 Great British Railway Journeys (b00qgzdd)
Series 1
Coventry to Watford
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. In a series of four epic journeys, he travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways changed us, and what remains of Bradshaw's Britain.
His journey takes him from Buxton along one of the first railway routes south to the capital, London. This time, Michael relives the Coventry Blitz, meets the last farmer with pure-breed Aylesbury ducks in Buckinghamshire and finds out how the trains helped to evacuate millions of children during World War II.
TUE 20:30 World War I at Home (b045gjnp)
The Spies Who Loved Folkestone
Writer Anthony Horowitz learns how Folkestone became a hotbed of espionage and discovers the men, women and children who risked their lives operating as spooks during the First World War.
TUE 21:00 Architects of the Divine: The First Gothic Age (b04mq9x6)
Medieval historian Dr Janina Ramirez looks back to a time when British craftsmen and their patrons created a new form of architecture. The art and architecture of France would dominate England for much of the medieval age. Yet British stonemasons and builders would make Gothic architecture their own, inventing a national style for the first time - Perpendicular Gothic - and giving Britain a patriotic backdrop to suit its new ambitions of chivalry and power. From a grand debut at Gloucester Cathedral to commemorate a murdered king to its final glorious flowering at King's College Chapel in Cambridge, the Perpendicular age was Britain's finest.
TUE 22:00 The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (b04n1mx7)
Episode 2
It's hard to believe that the sexy amazon Rita Rooney was only recently the good housewife Ruth, but you have to adopt strange roles as a she-devil determined on revenge.
TUE 22:55 Supernatural (b04n1mx9)
Night of the Marionettes
Chilling anthology series where membership to a secret society is granted through telling horror stories.
TUE 23:45 Land of the Lost Wolves (b01fnfrc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
TUE 00:45 Easter Island: Mysteries of a Lost World (b03srmm6)
The contrast between the majestic statues of Easter Island and the desolation of their surroundings is stark. For decades Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as the islanders call it, has been seen as a warning from history for the planet as a whole - wilfully expend natural resources and the collapse of civilisation is inevitable.
But archaeologist Dr Jago Cooper believes this is a disastrous misreading of what happened on Easter Island. He believes that its culture was a success story not a failure, and the real reasons for its ultimate demise were far more shocking. Cooper argues that there is an important lesson that the experience of Easter Island can teach the rest of the world, but it doesn't begin by blaming its inhabitants for their own downfall.
This film examines the latest scientific and archaeological evidence to reveal a compelling new narrative, one that sees the famous statues as only part of a complex culture that thrived in isolation. Cooper finds a path between competing theories about what happened to Easter Island to make us see this unique place in a fresh light.
TUE 02:15 World War I at Home (b045gjnp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 today]
TUE 02:45 Architects of the Divine: The First Gothic Age (b04mq9x6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
WEDNESDAY 29 OCTOBER 2014
WED 19:00 World News Today (b04mqbd3)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
WED 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00qgzr9)
Series 1
St Pancras to Westminster
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. In a series of four epic journeys, he travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways changed us, and what remains of Bradshaw's Britain.
His journey takes him from Buxton along one of the first railway routes south to the capital, London. This time, Michael explores one of the grandest railway stations and hotels in the country - St Pancras. He rides the world's first tube line to Smithfield market and climbs up the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament to hear Big Ben chime.
WED 20:00 What Do Artists Do All Day? (b04m0n7g)
Evelyn Glennie
Dame Evelyn Glennie is one of the world's finest virtuoso percussionists. Born and raised in Aberdeenshire, she is the first musician to create and sustain the career of a solo percussionist, performing in over 50 countries, recording 30 solo albums and the winner of three prestigious Grammy awards.
As she approaches 50 she is now involving herself in what she describes as 'legacy' projects - 'ones that make a difference'. These vary from unique collaborations to her plans for a National Centre for Percussion, which will not only display her collection of over 2,000 percussion instruments but also be a space for performances, master classes and lectures.
The programme explores Evelyn's collection of instruments, follows her in rehearsal and reveals the story of how a country girl from Aberdeenshire became a global percussion superstar.
WED 20:30 The Wonder of Animals (b04n1npr)
Birds of Prey
Chris Packham explores what enables birds of prey to rule the aerial roost. Their ability to dominate their fellow birds in terms of strength, manoeuvrability and phenomenal speed is down to a combination of anatomical and physiological adaptations.
Chris explains the internal workings of the bald eagle's ratchet talons and how sharp eyes and a gyroscopic head enable the goshawk to keep its sight firmly fixed on both its prey and its surroundings as it tears through the undergrowth. New research reveals how pop-up feathers on the peregrine falcon's back act like pits on a golf ball to reduce drag - allowing it to reach 220mph.
WED 21:00 Spider House (b04mqc4z)
Ever wondered what spiders really get up to in your home? In this Halloween special Alice Roberts overcomes her arachnophobia to enter a spider-filled house where an astonishing drama unfolds within its walls.
Inside she meets entomologist Tim Cockerill, who loves spiders and quickly immerses Alice in the wonders of web-building, the secrets of fly-catching and the dangerous spider-eat-spider world they inhabit.
Tim wants us to welcome spiders into our homes. He takes Alice on a macro mystery tour of the rooms of the Spider House, revealing what goes on in the cracks and crannies of our homes.
Why do we always find spiders in the bathroom? And what happens if we flush them down the plughole? Using powerful macrophotography, Tim and Alice find out.
In the dining room, they uncover the complex engineering behind the most beautifully constructed 'dinner plate' in the home - a spider's web. In the kitchen Alice witnesses the extraordinary hunting ability of the keen-eyed jumping spider, while Tim finds out how spiders kill their prey using venom.
In the bedroom, the secrets of spider courtship are revealed. For spiders, mating is a high-stakes life-or-death game, where males risk being eaten by females. In the nursery, we enter an enchanting cocoon where tiny spiderlings struggle out of their exoskeletons - the first of many moults on the road to becoming adult spiders. Meanwhile, down in the cellar, we meet an unexpectedly voracious killer - the daddy longlegs.
Many of us have a love-hate relationship with spiders. The rational side of Alice Roberts understands their benefits, but can she overcome her irrational fears? She faces the ultimate challenge: to spend the night alone... with the spiders... in Spider House.
WED 22:30 The Swarm (b012fzzq)
Terrifying swarms of killer bees are coming together and attacking people. As the deadly swarms approach Houston, it's up to entomologist Brad Crane to discover the cause and prevent General Slater using military tactics that will devastate the balance of nature.
WED 01:00 The Old Grey Whistle Test (b0074t8q)
California Comes to the Whistle Test
A compilation of BBC performances by artists who lived and worked in California in the 1970s. Featuring Jackson Browne, Little Feat, Ry Cooder, Judee Sill, Bonnie Raitt and a rare duet between James Taylor and Carly Simon.
WED 02:00 What Do Artists Do All Day? (b04m0n7g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
WED 02:30 Spider House (b04mqc4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
THURSDAY 30 OCTOBER 2014
THU 19:00 World News Today (b04mqbd8)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b04n1pln)
Peter Powell presents another edition of the weekly pop chart with performances by the Specials, Viola Wills, Queen, Dr Hook, Iris Williams, the Dooleys, Janet Brown, Lena Martell and Errol Dunkley and dance sequences by Legs & Co.
THU 20:00 The Horizon Guide to Mars (b00p1crx)
The intriguing possibility of life on Mars has fuelled man's quest to visit the Red Planet. Drawing on 45 years of Horizon archive, space expert Dr Kevin Fong presents a documentary on Earth's near neighbour.
Man's extraordinary attempts to reach Mars have pushed technological boundaries past their limit and raised the tantalising prospect of establishing human colonies beyond our own planet.
While the moon lies 240,000 miles away, Mars is at a distance of 50 million miles. Reaching the moon takes three days, but to land on Mars would take nearly eight months, and only two thirds of the missions to Mars have made it. The BBC has been analysing the highs and lows throughout - including the ill-fated British attempt, the Beagle.
Horizon has explored how scientists believe the only way to truly understand Mars is to send people there. If and when we do, it will be the most challenging trip humanity has ever undertaken.
THU 21:00 Operation Jericho (b016n2zz)
Actor and aviator Martin Shaw takes to the skies to rediscover one of the most audacious and daring raids of World War II.
On the morning of 18th February 1944, a squadron of RAF Mosquito bombers, flying as low as three metres over occupied France, demolished the walls of Amiens Jail in what became known as Operation Jericho. The reasons behind the controversial raid remain a mystery to this day.
This dramatic documentary investigates the missing pieces of the story, with interviews from survivors and aircrew, and tries to find out why the raid was ordered and by whom.
THU 22:00 Detectorists (b04n1plq)
Series 1
Episode 5
Even though Andy, Lance, Becky and Sophie are barely talking to each other, their secrets are on the verge of being revealed. Are they all just victims of a smear campaign? And why does everyone else want to move in on Bishop's Farm?
THU 22:30 The Art of Gothic: Britain's Midnight Hour (b04n1mrb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
THU 23:30 Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies (b01m9vjl)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
THU 00:30 Top of the Pops (b04n1pln)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
THU 01:10 Sounds of the Eighties (b0074sk2)
Episode 3
Musical memories from the BBC archives. This edition concentrates on the soul and funk artists who found success in the British charts of the 1980s, with performances from Kool and the Gang, The Pointer Sisters, Grace Jones, Cameo, Bobby Womack, Sade, Alexander O'Neal and Whitney Houston.
THU 01:40 Detectorists (b04n1plq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
THU 02:10 World War I at Home (b045gjnp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 on Tuesday]
THU 02:40 Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story (b03cw8g0)
In 1973, an album was released that against all odds and expectations went to the top of the UK charts. The fact the album launched a record label that became one of the most recognisable brand names in the world (Virgin), formed the soundtrack to one of the biggest movies of the decade (The Exorcist), became the biggest selling instrumental album of all time, would eventually go on to sell over 16 million copies and was performed almost single-handedly by a 19-year-old makes the story all the more incredible. That album was Tubular Bells, and the young and painfully shy musician was Mike Oldfield.
This documentary features contributions from Sir Richard Branson, Danny Boyle, Mike's family and the original engineers of the Tubular Bells album among others. The spine of the film is an extended interview with Mike himself, where he takes us through the events that led to him writing Tubular Bells - growing up with a mother with severe mental health problems; the refuge he sought in music as a child, with talent that led to him playing in folk clubs aged 12 and signing with his sister's folk group at only 15; his frightening experience of taking LSD at 16; and finally arriving at the Manor Recording Studios as a young session musician where he gave a demo tape to a recording engineer who passed it along to young entrepreneur Richard Branson.
After the album's huge success, Mike retreated to a Hereford hilltop, shunned public life and became a recluse until he took part in a controversial therapy which changed his life.
In 2012 Mike captured the public's imagination once again when he was asked to perform at the London Olympic Opening Ceremony, where Tubular Bells was the soundtrack to 20 minutes of the one-hour ceremony.
Filmed on location at his home recording studio in Nassau, Mike also plays the multiple instruments of Tubular Bells and shows how the groundbreaking piece of music was put together.
THU 03:40 Pop Go the Sixties (b00rgd4h)
Series 1
The Kinks, the Shadows, the Tremeloes, the Who
More pop moments from the BBC's 60s archive, featuring the Who, the Kinks, the Shadows and the Tremeloes.
FRIDAY 31 OCTOBER 2014
FRI 19:00 World News Today (b04mqbdf)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
FRI 19:30 Concerto at the BBC Proms (b01k83bg)
Mozart Piano
Another chance to hear a live performance from the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall of Mozart's Piano Concerto No 23, one of his most exuberant piano works, recorded in 2006. The American pianist Richard Goode, one of today's leading interpreters of classical and Romantic music, performs with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Jirí Behlohlávek.
FRI 20:00 Rule Britannia! Music, Mischief and Morals in the 18th Century (b040w7xx)
Episode 2
Broadcaster and writer Suzy Klein explores the remarkable music that became the soundtrack to the roaring 18th century.
As money poured in from a flourishing trade empire, the British rediscovered a taste for pleasure and fun, and music was at the very centre of it. Aspiring young girls played the keyboard to attract a good husband and nothing beat dancing a minuet if you wanted a place in the best society.
Europe's best composers and performers descended upon Britain, certain that the 'rage for music' would make them rich. Music had become a tool for social mobility, but it was also starting to shape the physical fabric of Britain - concert halls, assembly rooms and pleasure gardens sprang up across the country as the thirst for entertainment grew.
FRI 21:00 Classic Albums (b00vlq0y)
Black Sabbath: Paranoid
The second album by Black Sabbath, released in 1970, has long attained classic status. Paranoid not only changed the face of rock music, but also defined the sound and style of heavy metal more than any other record in rock history. The result of a magic chemistry which had been discovered between four English musicians, it put Black Sabbath firmly on the road to world domination.
This programme tells the story behind the writing, recording and success of the album. Despite vilification from the Christian and moral right and all the harsh criticism that the music press could hurl at them, Paranoid catapulted Sabbath into the rock stratosphere.
Using exclusive interviews, musical demonstration, archive footage and a return to the multi-tracks with engineer Tom Allom, the film reveals how Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward created their frighteningly dark, heavy and ear-shatteringly loud sound.
Additional comments from Phil Alexander (MOJO & Kerrang! editor), Geoff Barton (Classic Rock editor), Henry Rollins (writer/musician) and Jim Simpson (original manager) add insight to the creation of this all-time classic.
FRI 22:00 Goth at the BBC (b04mqfl1)
A 60-minute showcase of beastly basslines, scything guitars, tormented lyrics, piercing synths, leather, lace and fashion on the edge! This programme celebrates the Goth aesthetic that began in early 80s British clubland and traces its evolution in music throughout that decade and beyond. Featuring classic BBC TV performances from Siouxsie and The Banshees, Bauhaus, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Killing Joke, The Sisters of Mercy, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey and many more.
FRI 23:00 Brothers in Arms (b007cblj)
They say that blood is thicker than water and this documentary puts that to the test by examining the brothers who have formed and fronted rock bands. From the Everlys to the Gallaghers via the Kinks and Spandau Ballet, it tells the stories of the bands of brothers who went from their bedrooms to become household names - often with a price to pay.
With contributions from Martin Kemp, Matt Goss, Dave Davies, Phil Everly, David Knopfler and the Campbell brothers of UB40.
FRI 00:00 Alice Cooper: Brutally Live (b03q9tvk)
The king of shock rock's inimitable stage show Brutally Live, filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo, London in July 2000, in support of his album Brutal Planet. Alice Cooper combines his distinct brand of rock and theatre with the use of elaborate props to unsettle and shock his audience. His famous costumes, a guillotine, a werewolf baby, pools of fake blood and the thick black eye make-up dripping down his face work together to create his trademark demonic style.
FRI 01:30 Classic Albums (b00vlq0y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRI 02:25 Goth at the BBC (b04mqfl1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
FRI 03:25 Sounds of the Eighties (b0074sll)
Episode 4
Another in the series of 1980s pop archive shows highlights those bands that swayed on the spot, compulsory for the synthesiser bands that dominated the decade. Doing the standing still are Depeche Mode (featuring Vince Clarke), The Human League, Yazoo (featuring Vince Clarke), Soft Cell, New Order, Bronski Beat, Pet Shop Boys and Erasure (featuring Vince Clarke).